A Remnant Problem
by kinggay
Summary: ODST's are known for their deadly efficiency in combat and their ability to get the job done. But after an operation goes wrong, Buck and his squad find themselves in a difficult situation and stuck on the planet Remnant. Caught between local conflicts and trying to find their way home, Buck and his troopers are in for a long ride.
1. Introduction Part I

Lieutenant Edward Buck pushed aside a tree branch as he continued to struggle through the red forest. Behind him, Dutch, Mickey, and Romeo followed. They had been trudging on for nearly an hour and there seemed to be no clear exit to the massive tree line in front of them. The ODST's were getting closer to the column of smoke that rose ahead of them.

Suddenly, a loud growl sounded from behind them.

"What the hell was that?" Exclaimed Dutch

"Whatever it was it sounded like an asshole." Mickey remarked.

"Doesn't matter," Buck replied calmly. "We're almost there. Whatever it is, I'm sure we can handle it later. Let's just keep moving."

Mickey wasn't convinced. They were in unknown territory and had no idea what to expect from these parts. None of their instruments were working properly and the cold weather definitely wasn't helping. His thoughts were interrupted by Romeo.

"Once again, we find ourselves in a shitty situation." The sarcastic sharpshooter complained. "Trying to conduct a rescue mission with no idea where the fuck we're going. And now, we got some dumbass hippo-soundin muthafucka tight on our asses. This shit just keeps getting better."

Just then, a dark shadow shot out of the trees heading directly for the elite operatives. Its giant claws aimed directly at them ready to put an end to their lives.

_**6 Hours Earlier**_

The UNSC _Say My Name_ knifed through space at cruising speed. The Marathon-Class heavy cruiser was one of the few ships from the Home Fleet not destroyed or heavily damaged during the Battle of Earth, although it did sustain some minor hits. Since then, it had continued its service to the UNSC Navy as a support and special operations ship.

At the bridge of the ship, Captain Brandon Evans read the files on his monitor. The intel had just been received thirty minutes earlier and the ship had already changed course to respond accordingly.

Evans took a sip of coffee from his mug. The task that had just been given to him and his men was no doubt dangerous, and he could think of multiple scenarios of something going wrong. He didn't like the new orders but he was determined to carry them out. After all, his ship wasn't exactly a stranger to dangerous situations. It had made it through Hell and back a number of times. Surely it could pull it off again.

Below the bridge, Lieutenant Edward Buck sat in the briefing room with the rest of his squad along with other ODST's of 7th Battalion Alpha Company. They had been called in on short notice for a highly classified operation and little details had been given out.

"Hey Gunny, you know what all this commotion is about?" Dutch had been wondering about the assignment. Even though Buck had already been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, the nickname Gunny had stuck with his squad.

"No clue." Replied Buck. That was what bothered him more than anything else. Buck liked having a clear understanding of what he was going to be getting involved in, it made a smaller chance for error, a smaller chance of getting killed. Especially now, since he had a bigger responsibility.

Being a lieutenant meant that Buck now had a bigger squad. A bigger squad meant more men to take care of, more tactical decisions to make, and frankly, just more work. Buck had found himself coming back from missions more exhausted then he had ever been before as a sergeant. Just the idea of going to battle was something he rather dreaded nowadays. _I'm gettin a little too old for this. _Buck thought to himself.

"It all just seems like a big waste of time if you ask me." Romeo scoffed.

"Save it Romeo." Buck replied curtly. Hearing Romeo complain about a mission was nothing new to him. In fact, just hearing him complain in general was something Buck had gotten used to.

"You know it's true," Romeo continued, not ready to be ignored. "Things like this happen all the time. UNSC gets their heads caught up in their asses about something they don't know how to deal with, so they call on us to deal with it for them. Most of the time, it ain't even that big a deal, and when it is, bad shit always happens to us. You remember how bad my lung got fucked on our last rodeo, don't you?"

"What I remember is having to carry your fat ass around a whole damn city." Buck joked. "Doesn't bother you anymore does it?" He realized this would be Romeo's first field assignment since New Mombasa. Ever since the Gravity Hammer had pierced Romeo's lung, he had been deemed unfit for combat: even after surgery. Instead, UNSC gave him a desk job where he had evaluated test scores for new recruits. He had only just rejoined the squad last month.

"It's been six years Gunny." Romeo replied at length. "It doesn't even cross my mind. Stamina's been fucked ever since though. I'm just glad I ain't grading tests no more."

"Good. Then you've got nothing to whine about."

"Yeah, whatever man."

"The Rookie's pretty calm and collected." That was Mickey, noticing how quite The Rookie had been. "Does nothing ever get to you J.D?"

The Rookie said nothing. To him, this was just another day at the office. It was what he was trained to do and what he signed on for. He looked at every mission as just another task to complete. If he doesn't survive, then so be it. Any soldier should know that they face the possibility of dying in battle. But death wasn't really something that fazed The Rookie. As far as he was concerned, this was just an average day.

"Not in the mood to chat huh?" Mickey sighed. "But then again, you never are."

"That's what I like about J.D. A man of few words who gets the job done." Dutch nodded approvingly. "You and Romeo should learn from him. Especially Romeo."

"Hey, don't go calling me out like that man." Romeo responded indignantly. "I always get the job done. In fact, if it weren't for me, you probably would've been killed a hundred times over by now."

Dutch rolled his eyes to heaven. "You just keep telling yourself that."

"Besides," Romeo went on. "if you wanna get all the beautiful ladies, you gotta know how to talk. If anything, The Rookie should be learnin from me. Ain't that right Rookie?"

The Rookie, by this point, had already dosed off finding the conversation to be uninteresting.

"Alright, that's enough. Let's just get some peace and quite for a few minutes ok?" Buck was starting to get a headache from all the chattering going on around him.

The briefing room door slid open not two seconds after Buck issued his order and Captain Dare walked in with a huge African American man close behind her.

The man's name was Joseph Matthews. Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Matthews. He was the highest-ranking ODST aboard _Say My Name_ and had overall command on all field operations carried out by the ship. He had already seen more action than more than half of the ODSTs on the ship put together. Behind the massive Colonel, a smaller man with glasses followed.

"Attention Troopers, officer on deck!" Dare called. The operators quickly stood at attention. Mickey woke the Rookie up with a punch to the shoulder and he got up clumsily.

"Thank you Captain." Matthews acknowledged Dare. "At ease troopers."

"So much for peace and quite huh Gunny?" Romeo smirked.

"Silence." Buck hissed under his breath. He noticed Colonel Matthews was already dressed for combat except for his helmet, which he had just laid on the desk in front of him. Buck had a feeling that this was something big. Normally, Matthews would oversee an operation from the bridge of the ship. If he was actually going to go in with everyone else, then this operation was going to be far from the average walk in the woods.

"You're all probably wondering why you're here." Matthews spoke again. "As you all know, two months ago, the UNSC conducted an operation on the planet known as Requiem, in which some of our boys engaged with Covenant Remnant forces. The Covies were lead by this cocksucker."

Matthews showed a holographic projection. "Jul 'Mdama, or as I like to call him, muthafuckin ugly ass-lookin dickhead." That drew a few chuckles. "When the planet blew, 'Mdama's pussy ass was able to escape, bringing with him one of our own." He showed another projection. "Dr. Catherine Halsey. You'd probably recognize her as the person who created the original Spartan II and Spartan III programs."

"Wasn't she that psycho that abducted little kids?" Mickey whispered to The Rookie who naturally, said nothing.

"Halsey was supposed to be assassinated." Now it was Dare speaking. "But 'Mdama brought her with him before we could get the chance. Since she likely holds a grudge against the UNSC, it is very likely that she is working closely with 'Mdama."

"Okay. So we've got some old hag working with a freak. How's this a problem for us again?" Romeo was unimpressed with the briefing so far.

Dare raised an eyebrow. "Halsey maybe old, but she is one of the smartest people in the universe. She knows how the UNSC operates and she knows some of ONI's most closely guarded secrets. 'Mdama on the other hand, leads the largest group of forces currently opposing the UNSC. If anyone were to completely eradicate humanity, it would be him. And right now, he's already half way there."

"How so?" Dutch asked, now getting interested.

"Spartan fire teams recovered this on Requiem before it was destroyed." A projection of a forerunner artifact now popped up on display. "We call it the Janus key. Ironically, it was Halsey who gave it to us. Our top scientists at Naval Intelligence have examined this piece right here and the general consensus is that the piece we have is only half of the real thing.

The other half is likely already in 'Mdama's hands. If 'Mdama were to get both pieces into his possession, he will gain knowledge to everything the universe has to offer. He will use that information to wipe out the human race."

The room was silent. Even Romeo had nothing to say. Eventually, Buck spoke up. "So what do we do about it?"

It was Matthews who answered. "We hit those scumbags before they hit us." The Colonel paused for a second. He was now getting to the main point. "Some of our spy drones somehow detected 'Mdama's fleet and managed to track them throughout the course of a few days. The Covies eventually landed in the ruins of Madrigal."

Romeo looked up at that. He had spent the first four years of his life on Madrigal before it was glassed by the Covenant. But before he could ask any questions, Matthews started talking again.

"From what we can tell, the Remnant forces are using the ruins as a rendezvous point to regroup and take stock of their current manpower and supplies. They've docked their ships and set up camp on the northern side of the planet. The UNSC has called for a quick response force to take advantage of this situation and ambush those freaks when they're unprepared. As you can guess, that's us. Our drones have positive ID on Halsey. She is currently on board an assault carrier located around the outskirts of the docked ships. Our mission is to drop down around that carrier and take Halsey back alive. 'Mdama won't be able to pose as much of a threat to us without her; even with half of the key."

"I thought they wanted her dead," someone asked from the back of the room.

"Not anymore. She's been around 'Mdama long enough to understand how he operates. The UNSC will most likely want to acquire that information from her in exchange for her life." Matthews explained.

"What do we do about 'Mdama?" Somebody else asked.

"He's going to be too well protected. We simply don't have the manpower to get to him. Luckily for us, that dumbass separated himself from Halsey. He's having a meeting with his senior advisors in the center of his camp and he's left Halsey on the outer edge with minimal protection. That cocksucker doesn't have any idea of what's about to hit him."

"Will we be the only forces on this operation?" Dutch doubted that _Say My Name _had the numbers to take on an entire Covenant battalion. ODST or not, he knew the odds would be too much for them.

"Hell nah son. We ain't stupid. We're currently en route to join up with the task force designated Foxtrot 5. Eight heavy cruisers and two carriers of UNSC naval pride. We go in, take the prize, then get the hell out. Us ODST's will be dropping in first to gain the advantage of surprise. The marines will cover our extraction via Pelican drop ships."

Matthews now indicated for the smaller man with glasses to step forward. "This is Naval Intelligence specialist Clay Arrington. He's made a career out of studying covenant ships. Practically knows the interior layout of an assault carrier like the back of his hand. He'll be guiding us once we get inside the ship to Halsey's location."

"It's an honor troopers." Arrington said. His voice was somewhat high-pitched but also confident. "I know the best ways to cut corners inside those monstrosities the Covenant call ships. Do as I say and I'll get you to Halsey and out in no time."

"So the guy says." Romeo muttered quietly to nobody in particular. "Just wait until we get pinned down inside the ship by heavy resistance. Lets see what his four-eyed ass has to say then."

"You just don't know how to be quiet do you?" Dutch sighed irritably.

"I'm just trying to keep my mind sharp."

"Hmph! Classic Romeo. Mouth always moving faster than his head. I swear, one of these days, you're gonna make a smartass remark to the wrong person and get your ass handed to you."

"Yeah, that person definitely won't be you. I could take you any day hot shot."

"Is there a problem gentlemen?" The Colonel's voice suddenly cut the argument short.

"No sir." Dutch grumbled casting a glare at Romeo.

"Good. We have a job to do troopers. Let's get it done right. Get ready to drop into hell. We move out in an hour. You're all dismissed."

The ODST's stood at attention once again, then headed to their lockers to get ready for the drop.


	2. Introduction Part II

Buck strapped on the last of his armor and slid his M6S pistol into its holster. The locker room had gone from being empty one second, to being filled by a mass of people the next. ODSTs were scrambling to get their gear together and load up onto the drop pods. The _Say My Name _had already met up with the rest of the task force. The UNSC ships were now just a few minutes out from the target area. Buck took out his suppressed M7, clicked in a new magazine, then grabbed his helmet and shut his locker before moving on to join up with his squad in the loading bay.

His "squad" was really a platoon consisting of three-dozen men now. If he were honest with himself, Buck would admit that he missed being a sergeant. Even though he was well respected and looked up upon by all of his men, from time to time, Buck couldn't help but reminisce back to the days when it was just him, Dutch, Mickey, J.D, and yes even Romeo out raising hell and causing trouble for their enemies. _Life was easier back then._ He thought solemnly to himself.

But being an officer did have its perks. He had more comfortable living quarters, higher pay, people tended to take his word more seriously, and most importantly, his new status impressed more ladies. There was only one person he really needed to impress though.

Needless to say, the relationship between Buck and Dare had improved a lot after New Mombasa. The two were closer now than they ever had been before. But Dare was an extremely busy person and Buck didn't exactly have a lot of free time himself. As a result, they didn't really see much of each other after the Battle for Earth.

The idea of retiring had occurred to the Lieutenant a number of times. He would definitely have a lot more time on his hands as a result. But his sense of duty to his squad had held him back from doing so. He would not abandon his men as long as he had an ounce of fight left in him. That was the thought that had pushed him over the last six years. He knew that there was a bright future in store for him and Dare, so he didn't mind waiting for it. However long it took, Buck knew it would be worth it.

"How are my boys doing?" Came a familiar voice. Buck turned around to see Captain Dare herself standing there with one hand on her hip and the other carrying her helmet. Even after six years, she hadn't seemed to age at all.

"Never better." Came Buck's reply. "And yourself?"

"Quite well. I just thought I'd let you know that I'm taking control over your men once again."

"Tch, you can have them. Sure will make it a hell of a lot easier for me."

"Anything to make my number one happy." Dare smiled, touching him lightly on the shoulder.

Buck shifted uncomfortably. "C'mon Veronica, not in front of the guys." He felt color rise to his cheeks.

Dare just simply laughed. "I forgot how easy it was to embarrass you, _Lieutenant."_

"You feelin alright there Gunny? You look a little red." Dutch snickered.

Buck's gaze hardened at once. "Very funny Dutch. In fact, it's so funny that I think I'm gonna reward you. How does half pay for next month sound?"

Dutch fell silent instantly, the smile already gone from his face. He had risen to the rank of First Sergeant over the last six years. He was now the platoon sergeant. The promotion meant higher pay and Dutch had enjoyed the extra green. But a cut on his paycheck would definitely be a setback to the new lifestyle that he enjoyed so much.

Buck smiled, satisfied with himself. "Anyone else got something to say?" He challenged.

No one said a word. Even Romeo was smart enough not to say anything.

Buck's smile widened. "Good. Let's get to our pods then shall we?"

Buck's men began loading up onto their pods. The Lieutenant turned his gaze back to Dare, who seemed rather amused.

"You know," she smiled, "with the way you treat them, I'd say that I'm doing them a huge favor by taking your position."

"Is that so? Because I seem to recall that your leadership antiques almost got us killed on more than one occasion last time." Buck countered.

"Almost. Although it might not have been so bad if you actually _did _get killed. It'd certainly save me from seeing that clueless look on your face that you wear every so often."

Buck grinned. "C'mon Veronica, we both know how sad and miserable your life would be if I wasn't in it."

"Maybe your right." Dare returned the grin. "But I hope I don't find out anytime soon. Just don't do anything stupid like shoot Halsey or something like that." She stepped forward and gave Buck a quick, tender kiss on his cheek before heading over to her pod.

Buck put his helmet on and began walking to his pod as well before a voice from behind stopped him.

"Hey Gunny, you aren't actually going to cut my paycheck in half next month are you?" Dutch sounded concerned.

"You stop coming up with those funny jokes of yours and maybe I'll reconsider." Buck replied cheerfully before lowering his visor and climbing into his pod. The door came down before the sergeant could say anything else.

Dutch let out a long sigh. He knew that he didn't have time to think about it now. The mission he had ahead of him was enough for him to ponder over. He let his visor down and slowly climbed into his own pod and got settled.

Romeo was complaining again. "What I don't get is why the UNSC don't just go ahead and call on those Spartan freaks to this shit. Why us?" He asked over the comms.

"The Spartans only operate from the _Infinity, _and it's undergoing repairs right now from the fight in Requiem so there's no way they can handle a situation like this." Dare answered him. "You ODST's are the next best thing the UNSC have, so it's only natural they'd call on you for the job."

"Great. We get to go out and bust our asses fighting the Covenant while those fools get to sit around gaping at they own balls. Aren't we just honored." Came the sarcastic remark from Romeo.

"What's the matter Romeo? You scared?" Dutch taunted him.

"Me?!" Romeo was incredulous. "Don't be a fool. You do realize that I-".

Whatever Romeo was going to say next was cut off by a transmission from Colonel Matthews. "Alright, ready up ladies. Two minutes until drop. I repeat, two minutes until drop so no more fucking around. Because If I get down there and I see someone who ain't ready to fight, I swear to god I'll put that son of a bitch down myself. Out."

"Amen." Dutch approved.

"Alright, you heard the man. Cut the chit chat and take some final mental notes, because you definitely won't have any time to do it once we get down there." Buck ordered over the radio.

The Rookie decided to run over the battle plan over his head once again. The ODST's from the other ships would drop first and set up a perimeter around the target ship. The operators from _Say my name _would drop last and actually board the vessel itself. From there, the Naval Intelligence specialist would guide them to Halsey. Once Halsey was in UNSC hands, Marines would insert via Pelicans and secure an extraction for all forces on the ground.

Meanwhile, the ships of the task force would be stationed above providing fire support and fending off any possible airborne Covenant Vessels. The projected mission completion time ranged anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour. Speed and surprise would be the two key factors the ODST's would have to rely on.

The Rookie sighed. The mission was a huge risk of course. It was mainly due to the fact that they would be laughably outnumbered by 'Mdama's force. The success of the mission would rely on them pulling out before the Covenant could mass an effective counter attack. But The Rookie knew navigating inside an unfamiliar ship would take time; even with outside help. If they couldn't make it out in time and got pinned down, it would all be over.

The Rookie wasn't too worried about it though. He was an ODST after all and failure wasn't an option for an ODST. He was determined to complete the mission.

Suddenly, Matthews voice came back on over the comms. "This is it! Thirty seconds until drop!"

"Alright troopers! Get strapped and hold on tight, we're about to go in!" Came Buck adding his input.

Matthews had started a countdown. "Twenty seconds!" He called.

The Rookie fastened his safety harness.

"Ten seconds!"

The visor went down.

"Five seconds!"

The M7's safety was switched off.

"Alright! All systems green! Good luck people, I'll see you all in hell!"

That was the last transmission made before the pods began falling from _Say My Name. _

The mission had started.


End file.
